Voting Rights Act caravan to DC stops in Raleigh

RALEIGH, NC (AP) -- A caravan of civil rights activists from Alabama stopped in North Carolina's capital to bring attention to efforts to restore portions of the Voting Rights Act to more Southern states.

Nearly 200 people from North Carolina's Moral Monday campaign and the Alabama-based Saving OurSelves Movement for Justice and Democracy gathered Tuesday outside the old Capitol building in Raleigh. The Alabama group is making its way to Washington, D.C., where they'll rally Wednesday for the law's restoration.

The U.S. Supreme Court last summer threw out the requirement that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discrimination in voting get federal approval before altering state election laws. A bill in Congress to restore that requirement currently would only apply to four states. Alabama and North Carolina aren't included.

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The Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder was correct, and no new legislation is needed. The Court struck down only one part of the Voting Rights Act, and the rest of the Act is still available to challenge any true discrimination. The legislation that is being pushed now would actually ENCOURAGE racial gerrymandering and segregation, and it is also designed to undermine legitimate ballot integrity measures.